MHS juniors James Glaskin-Clay and Alexia Pacheco won first and second place among 11th- and 12th-grade entries for the 2025 American Legion Americanism Essay Contest at the unit level, sponsored by the American Legion Department of Illinois.
Glaskin-Clay’s submission will progress to the regional level to compete against student essays from Lake County, with the first place essay proceeding up the tiers to compete against student essays from across the country. For the past 10 years, MHS students have earned top placement on the Americanism essay at the unit level.
This year’s prompt was “What is my favorite national memorial or monument?” Glaskin-Clay’s winning essay focused on the “architectural intimacy” of the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield. He visited the Lincoln Tomb on a school field trip, he writes in the essay. His patriotic pride for the 16th president resonates, resulting from President Lincoln’s transformative leadership and sacrifice. The tomb’s solemn and sparse interior, Glaskin-Clay suggests, prompts a personal connection with Abraham Lincoln: “No sounds, no tourist crowds or their litter, no fences, no barricades, and especially no gift shops. Just you and him.” He supports taking a new look at the smaller, and maybe more significant, sites that honor our nation’s heroes.
Pacheco selected the natural beauty of Lava Beds National Monument in Tulelake, California. Lava Beds features rocky and barren remnants of a shield volcano. The sparse landscape inspired Pacheco to imagine the first known inhabitants, the nomadic Modoc tribe, who have been traced back 14,000 years to that west coast region. After learning about the more recent conflict between the Modoc and the U.S. Army in the 1870s, Pacheco reflected on the tribe’s unending loyalty and resilience. Pacheco’s essay intertwines the unusual geographic features with the historical events in her praise of the National Monument.
“While both are impressive essays, James’ writing shows the captive nature of the Monument. He certainly has an expertise as a writer,” said Arlene Lolley, President of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 867 who has participated in judging contest entries for more than a decade. “We want to do our part to impart the values of patriotism and a passion for the wonders of our nation.”
A panel of judges representing Mundelein American Legion Auxiliary Unit 867 selected the essay winners. Both the Auxiliary and the American Legion sponsor many youth opportunities including Boys and Girls State and Nation, Oratorical Contest, Youth Cadet Law Enforcement, and college scholarships.